Michigan BBQ Fan
Take a breath!
I keep coming in middle to bottom of the pack on ribs. I agree, they have been a bit "tight" but I feel the flavor is spot on. Any tips?
Tips for Competition Ribs
- Thread starter Michigan BBQ Fan
- Start date
Pig_Farmer
is Blowin Smoke!
Are you getting any comment cards from the judges? What are you scoring low on?
ewatts2003
Full Fledged Farker
Example of scores from a few contests so we can see what the judges are thinking?
egorham
Knows what a fatty is.
Get the tenderness right and the rest will fall into place quickly. If ribs are tight you are just not going to score well in either taste or tenderness no matter how perfect you think the flavor is.
I am right there with you, the judges seem to think differently if my ribs than I do. As soon as I figure it out, I will share, but I am going to focus more on tenderness myself.
Joe Black
Babbling Farker
Are you going for a temp? I have always used the bend test to make sure they don’t go too long and start to tighten up. When I get a good bend, I will sauce/glaze twice for 15 minutes each time. The time that the doors are open, together with taking them out to glaze let’s them cool just enough to keep the extra 30 minutes from making them tight.
Give it a try and good luck...it has worked for me.
Give it a try and good luck...it has worked for me.
Michigan BBQ Fan
Take a breath!
I'm only doing amateur-level one-day rib cooks. I haven't gotten any comment cards (yet.) My guess is I'm scoring 1 to 2 points low on tenderness and that's pushing me down in the standings.
Michigan BBQ Fan
Take a breath!
I feel like this is great advice. Thanks. I do feel the flavor is spot on (or at least close) but I'm a bit of on tenderness.
Michigan BBQ Fan
Take a breath!
Thanks for the advice and tip. Are you saying that cooking them "too long" can cause them to be tight? I've always thought I wasn't cooking them long enough so they weren't reaching the right tenderness point.
I have been temping them and pulling in the low 200s (203-204). I'm going to start to try to go to 208ish and see how it goes.
Michigan BBQ Fan
Take a breath!
I have only done two rib contests.
For the first one I was given the specific judges scores. I can see where the 7s in tenderness as well as "Judge 5" brought me down....
For the second one I only got the totals and not the individual category scores. A few pros that tried my ribs reported them to be tight so I would expect I go pushed down on tenderness....
Both comps used the KCBS weighted system that does give more importance to tenderness.
Attachments
West River BBQ
Full Fledged Farker
Those don't look like too bad of scores if you eliminate judge 5 who seems to be in a different camp altogether. But I agree, the tenderness is where I'd spend my energy. Good luck in your next comp. Were all the judges certified? That might make a big difference from a KCBS event.
Qbert60
Take a breath!
Hey bud.
Depending on your timeline and temp, best advice I was ever given...
"When you think they are done, give it 30 mins longer." It's worked out so far.
If you are at the Westland comp, stop by.
Depending on your timeline and temp, best advice I was ever given...
"When you think they are done, give it 30 mins longer." It's worked out so far.
If you are at the Westland comp, stop by.
Right on Q
is Blowin Smoke!
This was going to be my exact advice. Cook some at home. Push them 30 min past your normal timeline and see how they turn out. If they fall apart go from there. If they don't I bet it will score better
My scores went WAY up when I stopped being scared of overcooking. Sounds silly but I was afraid my meats would turn out mushy or slide off the bone
Hope this helps
tduffy
is Blowin Smoke!
If they are tight at all, that's why they aren't scoring. Better to be over than under. Fix that and your taste scores will follow your tenderness scores.
tduffy
is Blowin Smoke!
And you need to be getting nines in appearance. or mostly nines. the amount of 8s you have on appearance, there is definitely room for improvement there.
Michigan BBQ Fan
Take a breath!
I have been shooting for a temp but I think I need to go 5 degrees more (at least.) Do you do the bend test IN the foil? I feel like when I double-wrap, I have a hard time telling if it's good to not via the bend test.
Michigan BBQ Fan
Take a breath!
I think that at my first comp it was a mix of certified and non-certified judges. I think for the 2nd one (13th place) it was mostly (if not all) KCBS judges.
Michigan BBQ Fan
Take a breath!
Thanks for the tip. I did a practice cook on Sunday and I ran 1 rack 15 minutes "over" my standard timeline and the other 30 minutes. One felt like it turned out very close to where I'm happy and the other was over...but only by a bit...which might mean it was PERFECT.
I won't be in Westland. I will be in Dallas this weekend watching the "worst team in baseball."...but...I will be around some of the Michigan events. Hope we cross paths.
Michigan BBQ Fan
Take a breath!
Thanks for the tip. Me too. I'm SO afraid of getting the overdone that I keep getting them under. So it goes.
Michigan BBQ Fan
Take a breath!
Thanks. I'm excited to see how it goes. Next comp is mid-August. Going to try and extend the wrap time and do a better job of checking them.
